Siege at Arundel Castle

June 3, 2015

Hello, my name is Frankie and I bloody love a castle. Last bank holiday weekend my husband, Mark, and I went down to Sussex to Arundel Castle. Partly because we have friends in the area and partly because they were reenacting a siege all weekend. A siege! How exciting. Now, a word of warning: there are many things you are not allowed to do in Arundel Castle. You’re not allowed to take photos inside of the castle (my husband tried). You’re not allowed to walk backwards through the castle from finish to start (my husband tried, with me in tow). You’re also probably not supposed to come with foodie aspirations, as the restaurant was a bit overpriced and bland. Judging by the meals at other tables the baked potatoes seemed to be the most reasonable bet, though I probably have hog roast food envy as that’s what was happening outside.

Never mind these slightly negative aspects, there were many beautiful gardens and castley areas to enjoy, to photograph and to get excited about and that’s exactly what we did. Let’s start with the siege. It was based upon the age old story of the French attacking the English in the year once upon a time. To be honest, they had a lot of technical and scientific information on offer that many people just lapped up but it all fell out of my head the moment the gunpowder display started exploding everywhere. Explosions are fun. We also had archers, men in armour and lots of pointy sticks to amuse the crowds. Here’s what happened when the proper battle started:

The English archers fire

Not as easy as it looks. The key is to keep your elbow high when you draw back, so you use your back muscles and not just your arm muscles.

The English archers miss. The French commander gives sass.

Sorry, missed. Frenchie is still standing with his feather erect.

The second and third round of English archery is far more accurate

You can never watch this gif too many times. Down goes Frenchie! Learn him for being sassy to the English.

The French retreat

The cheese eating surrender monkeys live up to their name, flicking away arrows as they retreat. Fun times.

Ok, so people made fun of me for going to see a reenactment, but A FRENCH GUY GOT HIT IN THE BALLS WITH AN ARROW. If that doesn’t justify the train fare then you and I can’t be friends any more. It’s a beautiful castle, stunning grounds, too many gardens to shake a medieval stick at and a fun day out. My love for castles can only keep growing from here on in.